---
type: Conversation
title: Private channel session 852
description: "slack conversation, 19 messages, 2021-01-22."
tags:
  - conversation
  - slack
medium: slack
message_count: 19
started_at: "2021-01-22T11:07:41"
ended_at: "2021-01-22T12:53:58"
duration_seconds: 6377
sources:
  - { id: slack_pm, resource: /sources/slack-pm.md, title: Slack / Private Message Drop, author: "process:senate-hsgac-release" }
generated: { by: randpaul-corpus-pipeline/1.0, at: "2026-08-01T12:42:27Z" }
status: stable
---

A slack conversation of 19 messages spanning 1h 46m.

# Metadata

- **Started:** 2021-01-22T11:07:41
- **Ended:** 2021-01-22T12:53:58
- **Duration:** 1h 46m
- **Participants:** 4
- **Source:** [slack_pm](/sources/slack-pm.md)
- **Pages:** 436-438

# Participants

* [Andrew Rambaut](/people/andrew-rambaut.md)
* [Edward C. Holmes](/people/edward-c-holmes.md)
* [Kristian G. Andersen](/people/kristian-g-andersen.md)
* [Robert F. Garry](/people/robert-f-garry.md)

# Transcript

**[2021-01-22T11:07:41] Kristian G. Andersen:** @Andrew Rambaut - how good is the data on the increased mortality from B.1.1.7? Makes sense it would be, however, comparing mortality rates during a surge is problematic....

**[2021-01-22T11:09:28] Robert F. Garry:** @Kristian Andersen L18F is not in the cryo structure, but it is likely in the NTD near where delHV and the del around241-3 in the mink.

**[2021-01-22T11:12:47] Kristian G. Andersen:** @Kristian Andersen Yeah. I'm going more with it showing up both in RSA and BRA and the RSA paper showing that the NTD mutations are important for escape.

**[2021-01-22T11:45:01] Robert F. Garry:** @Kristian Andersen Yeah - NTD is definitely doing something we are not yet accounting for.

**[2021-01-22T11:47:56] Andrew Rambaut:** I am not sure it is that strong. But the report was leaked so they had to do the press. It is really hard to tease apart all the confounding factors.

**[2021-01-22T11:49:13] Edward C. Holmes:** This largely speaks for itself: [shared file(s): FigXX_B_Beta_MSA_v2.2_RdRp.pdf, FigXX_A_Beta_MSA_v2.2_Full length genome.pdf, all_similarity.xlsx]

**[2021-01-22T11:50:06] Edward C. Holmes:** From Weifeng and obviously in very strict confidence. I assume these are from Yunnan. Also has some interesting alphas.

**[2021-01-22T11:54:11] Kristian G. Andersen:** Oh, very interesting! Looking forward to seeing the actual sequences. Very cool.

**[2021-01-22T11:57:20] Edward C. Holmes:** The similarity scores imply that some are as close as RaTG13 in a number of genes. Will be good to see the Cambodian one in this tree as well. Interesting recombination events with respect to the pangolin viruses. Nature isan amazing thing.

**[2021-01-22T12:13:49] Kristian G. Andersen:** What's interesting is that it's all over the place every time we find a new virus. We're only scratching 0.000000000000000000000000000000001% of the surface.

**[2021-01-22T12:21:18] Edward C. Holmes:** Exactly. So many viruses in nature that are close to SARS-CoV-2.

**[2021-01-22T12:21:47] Edward C. Holmes:** Take a look @Andrew Rambaut and @Robert Garry

**[2021-01-22T12:24:28] Robert F. Garry:** Very interesting- how about the S1/S2 junction - HA379_CNSv1 seems close to RmYN02 - Maybe it and perhaps the other have indels there?

**[2021-01-22T12:24:59] Robert F. Garry:** @Kristian Andersen BTW - nice chart there @Kristian Andersen

**[2021-01-22T12:30:42] Edward C. Holmes:** I'll see what I can find out.

**[2021-01-22T12:44:08] Robert F. Garry:** I like the fact that the new ones are filling in some gaps...

**[2021-01-22T12:45:38] Edward C. Holmes:** Yes. I'm sure Alina and Yuri will be happy as well.

**[2021-01-22T12:50:35] Robert F. Garry:** I listened a bit to the Yuri and Billy show live this morning - if they mentioned the new virological post I did not hear it.They were however very much trying to project the airs of serious scientists - no pictures of male genitalia. In thismode neither could be described as stupid per se, just some really misguided, misinformed and biased opinionsmasked up as "science." Yeah Yuri is a fraudster.

**[2021-01-22T12:53:58] Robert F. Garry:** Yeah Alina read our post too. [shared file(s): image.png]